Randallstown Man Sentenced To Prison for Assaulting Officer

Randallstown resident Jesse Lee Bell, 39, was sentenced to one year in prison for assaulting a federal officer who stopped him on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

US District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced him Wednesday to one year in prison, followed by six months of community confinement, and three years of supervised probation, according to a news release from the Maryland US Attorney's Office.

A US Park Police officer pulled him over at 3:13 p.m. on Aug. 27, 2011.

Bell didn't cooperate with the officers' request for him to get out of his vehicle and do field sobriety tests, the release states. Bell then drove away while the officer was reaching inside his vehicle to try to open the door.

"Bell drove onto the highway...The truck struck the officer, who spun around and fell to the ground in the right lane of the highway," the release states, citing the plea agreement. "The officer saw cars coming toward him at highway speeds, but the drivers were able to swerve into the left lane to avoid striking the officer."

The officer called for backup officers, who caught up with Bell.

Bell pleaded guilty to the crime in October. He faced up to eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to a news release in 2012.